


And now the future

by BlushLouise



Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Loneliness, M/M, Post-War, Slight Canon Divergence, references to canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlushLouise/pseuds/BlushLouise
Summary: The war has ended, Megatron's gone, Cybertron's revived....And Starscream is left to sit by himself on a rooftop, contemplating his new existence.Luckily, there's an old friend who won't let him be alone for too long. And maybe, in some cases, it really is possible to go home again.





	And now the future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OverlordRaax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverlordRaax/gifts).



> This is closely based on the G1 cartoon, but I had to tweak the movie somehow to let Starscream survive. So let's pretend that Unicron just killed Megatron and the rest, and that Galvatron never happened, and it'll make sense.

Peace was _exhausting_.

Logically, Starscream had known it would be a lot of work. That reconciling the factions would take time. That he would have to suffer day in and day out of meetings and conferences and fragging _business lunches_ with the baby Prime and his boorish associates. In theory, he had known this.

Theory and practice were turning out to be two very different things, though. As usual.

He sat down heavily – but gracefully, because he _was_ the Pride of Vos and grace was practically his middle name – near the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the ledge. The so-called council building was the tallest completed structure on Cybertron rebuilt, giving him an amazing view of the filth and destruction he didn’t want to see _at all_ , thank you very much.

He pointedly avoided looking towards where Vos should have been, and turned towards the sky instead.

The stars were back there somewhere, behind the thick noxious cloud layer. Tempting him. Pulling him up.

Not that he wanted to escape. Not really. If four million years at Megatron’s side had proven anything, it was that Starscream was not a quitter. And now the Slagmaker was dead, thanks to Unicron, and Unicron was dead, thanks to Rodimus, and Starscream was supposedly free. Free to further the Decepticon cause in whatever way he found best. Free to try and wrestle Ultra Magnus and his ilk away from dry regulations and over to seeing actual mechs for their actual worth.

Free to sit alone on a rooftop at the end of the day. Ally-less. Friendless.

Trineless.

That one was the most bitter pill to swallow. Never mind that it was his own fault. Never mind that _Rumble_ had been more of a friend to him at times than Thundercracker and Skywarp ever were. Never mind that they had been more loyal to each other than they were to him.

They’d still been his trine. And he’d practically sentenced them to death.

Of course, it had been completely necessary at the time. And technically, it had been Unicron who killed them.

Starscream would keep telling himself that until he believed it.

The sound of footsteps from behind him pulled him out of his musings, and he brought his customary sneer to his face.

“Room for one more?” a familiar voice said.

“Why?” Starscream bit back. “Have you come to kick me over the edge?”

There was a chuckle in Skyfire’s warm, gentle tone. “Of course not. What good would that do? No.” He sat down next to Starscream, long legs swinging gently over the edge of the roof. Even seated, he dwarfed Starscream completely. “I came up here to keep you company.”

“Why?” Starscream repeated, looking up at him skeptically. “Don’t you see enough of me during meetings, like everyone else?”

After the death of Wheeljack in the attack on Earth, Skyfire had been promoted to head scientist for the Autobots. Perceptor was still active, but he was kept too busy actually getting Cybertron back in functional order, so the burden of negotiation had fallen to Skyfire.

Starscream knew his old colleague wasn’t overly happy in his role. But really, the only one who was happy with the way things were at this point was probably Ultra Magnus.

“We don’t get to talk much, even though we see each other all day,” Skyfire replied mildly. “And I know you’ve been hiding up here. So I came to see how you were doing.”

“I don’t know that we have that much to talk about anymore,” Starscream said cautiously. Even though actually having someone sitting up here with him was a relief, he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it was a good thing. Certainly not that it would last.

“We were friends once.” Skyfire’s blue optics met Starscream’s. “I thought maybe we could be again.”

“You don’t want to be friends with me,” Starscream said, and it was a gut reaction more than anything else.

“I don’t? Why not?”

“You’ll be accused of fraternization.”

Skyfire laughed again, and one large hand landed on Starscream’s back. It was instinctive to stiffen, brace against the shove that was surely coming.

That had to be coming any moment now.

Surely.

“We’re at peace, Star,” Skyfire said when he finally got his laughter under control. “There’s no fraternization anymore. We’re supposed to be working together.”

“That still doesn’t mean that anyone will look kindly on you talking to me.”

Skyfire looked down at him, sharp optics focused on Starscream’s face. “Star… Why are you trying to drive me away?”

“Why aren’t you trying to push me off the roof?” Starscream retorted, but his spark wasn’t in it. If anything, he was confused, and therefore frustrated.

Skyfire always had seen more than Starscream wanted him to. The warm hand on his back began moving in slow, gentle circles.

Starscream couldn’t say a word. And Skyfire seemed to understand, like he always did.

“I talked to Rodimus yesterday,” the shuttle-former began. “He said you were sitting up here yesterday as well, and that you were still sitting here this morning. And he said that he’s tried talking to you, but you blow him off. Which he expected, don’t get me wrong, but he still worries about you.”

“So you didn’t come for my sake at all, did you,” Starscream whispered. “You came because Rodimus asked you to.” He was half-tempted to pull himself away and take off.

“I didn’t. I came because I can see you suffering, Star. The others may see the stereotypical Starscream, the brash, treacherous, evil, power-hungry Second in command, but I don’t.”

“You’re full of compliments today, aren’t you?” Starscream sneered.

The Second in command part _hurt_. Almost half a vorn since Unicron had been destroyed, and _still_ it was _Megatron_ ’s Decepticons and Starscream who just pretended to lead them for a time.

“I’m trying to tell you that you’re more than that,” Skyfire insisted softly. “Will you let me prove what I mean?”

“Prove?” Starscream’s mistrust was clear in his voice. “I fail to see how you can prove anything like that. If everyone sees it it must be the truth, after all.”

“Not to me.”

And then Skyfire kissed him.

Starscream would have fallen off the roof in sheer surprise if Skyfire hadn’t been holding on to him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Skyfire pulled back. Starscream could tell his optics were wide as he looked up at the shuttle-former.

“Did that help?” Skyfire’s other hand found Starscream’s, squeezing his fingers. “We were friends once, Star, on our way to more than that. I’d like to be that again.”

“I’m not the person you knew then anymore, Skyfire,” Starscream whispered. “I’m different. I’ve changed.”

“You had to. I know. But the core of you is still in there somewhere. That brilliant, snarky, determined, indomitable mech I knew is still in there.” He bent down, leaning his forehead against Starscream’s. “Will you give this a chance? Give me a chance?”

A chance for more? With _this_ mech? If Starscream could have been sure Skyfire was genuine, he would have grabbed on with both hands and never let go.

But he’d fallen for tricks like that before. Never again.

At least this time he could ask in advance. “This isn’t a trick, is it?”

That earned him a quick hoist onto Skyfire’s lap, and the bigger mech’s face pressed against his neck cables. “ _Never_. I would never be so cruel to you, Star.”

Above them, almost as if it was a sign, the skies began to clear. Starscream snorted.

Skyfire followed his gaze and grinned. “Well, that’s a good portent, I think.”

“ _You_ would think so.” But he leaned back into the comforting warmth of Skyfire’s arms. Well, melted back into them would be a more accurate term.

Skyfire nuzzled his helm vent. “Star, how long has it been since anyone held you like this?”

Starscream didn’t want to think about that. But he knew Skyfire had felt him stiffen, and wouldn’t be satisfied without an answer. “Well, when did you crash into the ice?”

“That long?” Skyfire sounded surprised, which made no sense to Starscream. Granted, the mech missed most of the war, but you didn’t have to look at the Decepticons for more than five minutes before noticing that Starscream was indeed universally loathed, included by his own faction. “What about your trinemates?”

Starscream shrugged. “They loved each other. They didn’t love me. We joined together because Skywarp could keep up with me in the air, and Thundercracker wasn’t easy to rile.”

“I thought you were trine leader.”

“In name, I was. But Skywarp worshiped the ground Megatron walked on, and Thundercracker would follow Skywarp anywhere. I was lucky to tag along, really. For all that I outranked them. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what I got.” He sighed. “Nothing has ended up the way I wanted it to.”

“I know it didn’t. You had such grand dreams, Star.” Those strong arms tightened around him. “But you were very young when you graduated the Science Academy. You weren’t even an adult when I – when you joined up with Megatron.”

Starscream knew the hesitance, the avoidance, was clear to both of them. But he had just as little desire to dwell on that snowstorm as Skyfire did.

“How do you know that?” This time he was genuinely curious.

“Please.” Skyfire chuckled. “You may have gotten away with it from the grounders at the Academy. None of them knew the first thing about seeker development. But I knew you were vorns younger than you pretended to be from the first time I met you.” He nuzzled Starscream’s helm again. “It was part of the reason why we didn’t get very far in our relationship before – well. Because I didn’t want to be taking advantage of a youngling.”

“I should still have done better. I should have been able to stand up to him.”

“Based on what I’ve heard, you spoke against him every chance you had and all you got for it was punishment.” Skyfire’s fingers traced one of the permanent scars across Starscream’s abdomen. “You were too young, Star. You should have been cared for, and nurtured, and been allowed to grow into the promise you had. Not curbed and defeated at every turn by the mech who was supposed to be your leader.”

Starscream ground his pede against a stubborn stain on the rooftop, where the metal had been etched into coarseness by long-ago acid rain. “Well, I got my revenge on him, at least. Pushing him out of the shuttle and all.” He sighed. “But you know what I do regret? I regret pushing Thundercracker and Skywarp.”

“I’m not surprised you regret that,” Skyfire agreed. “They were your trine.”

“Mostly in name, but yes,” Starscream admitted. “Yes, they were trine. They would at least fly with me. No one else will, not even the Coneheads. And the Coneheads have the collective intelligence of a bag of Earth bricks.” He snorted. “Which explains why they flew straight at Unicron’s face like that. Not that they’re any better now that they’re supposedly repaired.”

“First Aid and Hook managed to get them back in the air, at least.”

“Yes. There’s that.” Starscream sighed melodramatically. “Hope for mech kind.”

“Don’t discount us just yet,” Skyfire said. “We’ll get through. We still have you.”

Starscream snorted. “You’re the only one who would ever see that as a good thing.”

“Not so. And I’ll spend as much time as I need to convince you of that.” Skyfire nuzzled him again, and Starscream melted.

It was dangerously comfortable, being cradled and safe like this. He found himself stroking Skyfire’s arms, rediscovering all the edges and dips of his armor. Leaning back against that broad chest, feeling the thrum of Skyfire’s spark.

It felt like home. Which simultaneously thrilled and terrified him.

“Did you really stay out here all night last night?” Skyfire’s voice was soft, almost just a rumble against Starscream’s back.

“… I did. My apartment is…” Starscream sighed. “It’s large, and grand, and has a magnificent view, and is everything I thought I wanted. And there’s no one else in the building.”

“So what’s wrong?”

“It’s large, and grand, and there’s no one else in the building.”

Skyfire chuckled, and Starscream frowned at him. “You better not be laughing at me.”

“I’m not, I promise. I’m not laughing at you, Star. But you have to admit it’s ironic.”

“Mirage said it was karma. That I didn’t deserve to enjoy nice things anyway. Of course, he could just be jealous.” That stain on the roof plate really was a stubborn one. He’d be rubbing at it all night at this rate. “I think he wanted the flat for himself.”

Skyfire shrugged, jostling Starscream slightly. “So? Let him have it. If you’re not happy where you live, live somewhere else. There’s more than enough space.”

Starscream laughed, despite himself. Wonderful, kindhearted, blissfully naïve Skyfire. “I did. I moved to this rooftop. At least for the nights when I just can’t bear to go back there.”

Skyfire shifted him around – just picked him up and turned him, like he used to, and like Starscream used to love.

Still loved.

Blue optics met his own. “You can’t live on a rooftop, Star.”

He shrugged, looked away. “Can’t live anywhere else, either. There’s a reason they bribed me into an _empty building_.” He sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Can’t we talk about something less upsetting?”

One large hand caught his jaw, gently but relentlessly forcing him to meet Skyfire’s optics again. The large mech was smiling. “Of course we can. Move in with me?”

“W-what?” Starscream was sputtering, horrifyingly enough, but he couldn’t make himself stop. “Move in? With you?”

“Yes.” Those warm hands cradled his jaw. “I’ve missed you so much, Star. And I know we’ve both changed, you probably more than me, but I –“

“Hush.” He rested a finger against Skyfire’s mouth, and the bigger mech shut up.

Not that that helped. Starscream tried to think, he really did, but his processor felt sluggish suddenly.

“Move. In. With – with you.”

Skyfire braved the finger still resting against his lips. “Yes. If you want to.”

Starscream blinked. “Why would _you_ want me to?”

“Well, I love you, Star.” Skyfire’s optics were impossibly mild. “I have ever since the Academy. And I don’t mean to force you into anything, that’s the last thing I want to do. But you’re not happy as it is. And if I can fix that…” Skyfire’s thumb caressed Starscream’s cheek. “Well, I want the chance to fix that. If you’ll let me.”

“Your neighbors won’t thank you for it,” Starscream managed. It was a feeble excuse, he _knew_ it was a feeble excuse, but it was the only thing his foggy mind managed to produce.

“Then they can feel free to air their grievances with Rodimus Prime,” Skyfire said firmly. “You’re working towards peace just as hard as the rest of us, Star. You deserve the good things.” He leaned down, resting his forehead against Starscream’s. “Do you hear me, Star? You deserve the good things.”

Starscream drew a shuddering in-vent. And another. Then he smiled. “Well, I guess I care enough about you to let you try to convince me.” He let his hands slide up to rest against Skyfire’s neck. “Kiss me again?”

Skyfire didn’t need to be asked twice.

And for a moment, finally, it felt like everything was falling into place.


End file.
